Chapter 491 The Truth, Revealed
Okay, this was just too many revelations for one day.
In the underground crypt where the former Queen was interred, Daneel took a step back and had to take the wall behind him for support as he tried to understand what Drakos had just told him.
After he thought for a bit, the pieces finally started to fall into place.
The matter of the elf slave trade in Angaria had made many waves at the time when it had been uncovered, but the most mysterious thing was that even after a lot of money had been burned to search for the elves who had been sold, none of them had been found.
After all, if it was true that the slave trade had gone on for a long time, it would mean that at least one elf out of the hundreds who had gone missing might have surfaced somewhere or the other, which would have given some clue.
Instead, it was as if they had all disappeared into thin air.
Now, it was obvious that they had all been killed.
But why?
And since when had Drakos become some kind of supernatural forensic investigator that could gather so many things from the ashes of the former Queen?
As if anticipating this question, Drakos said, "Even after a consciousness leaves one's body, there are… signs left behind about the changes that happened to one when they were still alive. Along with that, it is also possible to identify the last spell cast in the proximity of one, as signs are left behind in one's mageroot when it responds unconsciously to remain ready to take control of elementary particles when called for. Both of these signs can still be analyzed even if the body has changed form. Of course, this can only be done by a few Heros, and one of those Heros is me. The Emperor taught me this personally. However, I can see that only a very weak spell was cast, which meant that Dinora was still a few steps away from breaking free."
"Drakos, slow down. Tell me everything. You can't just spout out things which don't make sense and think for yourself out loud."
As Daneel said this an exasperated tone, Drakos hurriedly replied, "Apologies, Young King. It makes sense now. At some point in the recent history of this kingdom, were there a large number of missing elves?"
"Yes. And I guess from what you said that she killed them. But why?"
"A blood spell, Young King. A blood spell to rebuild a new body for herself, so that she can be born anew, with the full Mage capabilities of a Hero. Dinora was always very ambitious, so much so that I can't even remember one instance when she backed down from something ruthless if it meant that she would benefit from it. I always wondered why the Emperor chose her, and I still don't know the reason behind that. However, one thing is for certain: if you do not intervene, Young King, this kingdom itself might cease to exist, and from its ashes, a Mage stronger than any this continent has seen in millennia will be born who will effortlessly defeat those Big Four and take control of the continent. You must stop this, Young King. When she is done, she will have the same goal as that bird: she will offer up Angaria for information on how to reach the next level. She must be stopped. She must!"
Hearing Drakos say this in a very chilling tone, Daneel shook his head while trying to make sense of everything.
This was not the correct method. Drakos was just dropping facts right and left, but there was no clear idea about what exactly might have happened.
So, Daneel decided that he would first list everything using a timeline, so that it would all be clear.
Conjuring a chair in front of the large crypt, Daneel leaned back and closed his eyes before thinking about everything that he had just learned.
By asking Drakos and the system a few questions, he finally started to piece together the true history of everything that was going on in the Kingdom of the Elves.
It must have started with the greed of the former Queen. According to Drakos, only those with intense needs could be communicated with by Dinora, which apparently had something to do with her Champion path.
Queen Eldra must have been looking for a way to fund her campaign so that she would remain in her post. In the process, she must have come across the Empire Spirit, which should have spoken to her through some means.
This was where the tale got a bit tricky. In some manner, the Empire spirit, Dinora, must have exchanged the blood of the elves for money.
As for exactly how, even Drakos couldn't guess. One possibility was that Dinora might have given the locations of Ether deposits in the underground of the Kingdom, which might have come into existence due to the discharge of the excess Energy from the Ker Roots which were preserving her body and consciousness that had been arranged by the Emperor.
Regardless, Queen Eldara, in her thirst for power, must have chosen to kill all those elves. After all, one who was ready to thrust them into slavery and a life of torture, wouldn't hesitate to just kill them.
From what Drakos said, Daneel gathered that the elves of today had very diluted blood as compared to the original elf race which was due to the result of the depleting Energy on the continent. Of course, time was also a major factor here, as repeated generations had become weaker and weaker, thus diluting the elf blood in the process.
Using the blood of those elves, Dinora must've started casting the spell to recreate her body, which should have lent her the power to cast some very weak spells.
It seemed that it was most probable that this was when the event where Eldara was killed happened, but using the power she had gained, Dinora must have cast that Mind Control spell on Eldra.
As for the need she had exploited - it must be the one to be free from being a puppet.
Since then, Eldra must be training in a special technique that was apparently designed to modify the basic components of one's body so that it would facilitate a change in the consciousness too, which would result in one becoming eligible to try and break or bend an oath.
The final step was to do something that went against the very core beliefs of that person, so it became obvious that the action of hurting that elf maid must have been for this purpose.
All in all, this was one huge clusterf*ck of manipulation that Daneel hadn't even spotted during his last foray in the Kingdom of the Elves.
It was a pretty complex map of things, but it made sense now.
Now, the burning question was back: what was he supposed to do?
"Young King, as I mentioned before, Dinora needs to sacrifice the entirety of the elf population in order to successfully rebuild her body. The reason why she must've spent so much time helping the elf above to break the oath is that you would have been able to stop her as soon as you found out about this, which would have ruined all of her plans. For her, the best case would have been if that elf maid had been killed, but instead, I think that she must've fought against the Mind Control spell and chosen the other option so that she could at least save the life of that elf. Still, Dinora's objective has been fulfilled: a crack must've appeared in the oath which no one should be able to detect, and using that crack, she will be able to forcefully disable the oath for a period of time in the future if needed. In essence, she is ready to proceed with the plan of sacrificing all the elves in this kingdom. Wait… How did you appear here at such a crucial time in the first place?"
This made Daneel scratch his nose, as he couldn't reveal that he had the system which had thankfully detected that crack in the oath link.
"Err… Luck, I guess. I had to come here for a few tasks of mine anyway, so I was able to notice this incongruity. Put that to the side. What kind of spell could that Dinora cast to fulfil her goal?"
As he quickly changed the subject in this way, Drakos paused for a few moments as if he was suspicious, but the good old Innocent Dragon let it go and answered, "I don't know, Young King. But I do know that it will definitely involve gathering all of the elves, or at least most of them, in one place. That will be the main clue for you."
"Alright."
Nodding, Daneel first made his way out of the crypt before teleporting to the throne room one last time and taking a glance at Eldra, who had simply been manipulated all her life.
First, it was her mother, who had controlled her and made every decision in her life.
Next, it was that Empire Spirit, which was still directing her actions.
Yes, this was definitely quite a pitiful elf.
His next stop was the mansion where Olfax was waiting for him - this man had made quite the fortune for himself, and as Daneel looked around the spacious halls and the servants who were going about their tasks, he smiled, thinking that Olfax definitely deserved this for all the service he had done to Lanthanor.
Olfax tried to insist that Daneel should take the master bedroom, where he was currently living, but Daneel denied and took residence in the best guestroom there was.
Lying down on the bed, he once again closed his eyes.
He had already instructed Olfax to keep an eye out for any announcements that would result in the gathering of elves on a large scale, but when he heard a knock on the door, he couldn't have expected that this was the reason behind Olfax disturbing his rest.
At the door, Olfax was holding a conduit for the Network of Angaria, in which an announcement was taking place.
"To all the elves listening: the Queen has called for a major festival to honor the history of the elves! 10 days from now, in the large open ground east of Elfaven, the largest festival to have ever graced our kingdom will begin! All are welcome, but all elves must definitely attend! In the words of the Queen: "On the hallowed ground we have chosen, all elf kind must unite to take forth our Kingdom and return us to glory!" Stay tuned for more announcements!"
His eyes widening, Daneel realized that it was already happening.
10 days from now, if he didn't do anything, Eldinor would cease to exist, and there would be a new Hero level mage who would apparently be the biggest threat to Angaria yet.
At this moment, one thought radiated throughout Daneel's mind, and even though it was nonsensical, Daneel found himself encouraging it for once:
F*ck Empire Spirits.